Branching Out
by LezzyB
Summary: It's been three months since Natalia took over and our favorite Grimm and Royal were pronounced dead. Taking back the throne would not be easy with Nick's random emotional outbursts and Renard's smothering overprotectiveness. Will Nick and Renard prevail or will they fall to Natalia, the one they thought they could trust? This is the sequel to The Family Tree.
1. Nick & Renard: Finding Hope

**Here it is, folks, the beginning of the sequel to The Family Tree. I have Chapter 3 finished, but I want to kind of space these out so you're getting steady updates instead of long pauses that I'm prone to doing...**

 **I hope you enjoy! It's intense!**

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Nick was getting real tired of running.

Renard had explained to him repeatedly that they needed to be constantly on the move, lest his sister's army find them, but that still didn't help that he was exhausted and sore. However, he kept going because he knew that if she ever discovered they were alive, they would lose the element of surprise – the only thing they had going for them. Renard's sister – Natalia Renard – assumed that he and Renard had died as a result of what had transpired three months prior.

A while back, at the beginning of this whole catastrophe, Nick had discovered that the lawyer and ally Frank Rabe had been murdered by the Royal family of the Kronenburg House, Renard's family. Barry, his son, gave Nick a set of keys and a warning that the Royal family was coming to Portland. In his trailer, Nick recognized the keys as the Grimm keys. Pulling out his own key, he set them with the others. Soon after, Nick passed out as the keys burned unknown markings into his flesh.

Meanwhile, Renard and Nick still had to deal with the Royal problem. They soon discovered that they needed to head to Germany to stop whatever plans the Royals had. That was when everything started to head downhill.

Three months ago, Nick was captured by Renard's family. They wanted him because he could enter the Library of the Grimms and find a spell that could lower the Veil, a magical barrier created by the first Grimm in order to shield the true faces of the wesen from normal human eyes. The Royals weren't exactly sure how Nick could get into the Library, but they knew his bloodline was the only one who could. However, when Renard and the others went to save Nick, he was cut with a blade that had Reaper venom on it, a venom deadly to Grimms with no known cure. Nick was supposed to have died and Renard soon after due to their bond – but the Grimm keys brought him back from the dead, saving Renard as well. Unfortunately, while Nick and Renard were pretending to be dead to fool some intruders, the others were captured and taking to undisclosed locations around the world. Renard and Nick, while feigning death, discovered the intruders were actually a part of Natalia's army; she had been seemingly loyal to Renard, but actually wanted the throne all to herself.

From what both Nick and Renard could gather about the situation, Natalia had orchestrated a lot of what happened. It all started before the Royals came to Portland. Natalia had always been great at observation, persuasion and reconnaissance, according to Renard. With these skills, she was able to retrieve the Grimm keys from her father as well as the other lesser Royals. She then sent them to Renard and Nick, thinking they would merely be a peace offering to join the side she thought would win. When she discovered that the keys allowed Nick entrance to the Library, she changed her tactics a little. Natalia was going to simply raise an army with Renard to take out the other Royals, then kill Nick and Renard when they returned home. However, with this change in events, she decided to stay with Renard and Nick's side until they went to Germany, raise an army in Portland for Nick and Renard's return, and kill them as a welcoming gift. She was ecstatic to hear that Nick, Renard, and the Royals were all dead, having managed to kill each other in the fight for the Veil. All she had to do was clean up the only people that would try to revolt against her – Nick's allies.

The only problem with her plan was that Nick and Renard were not dead. Natalia might be creating her kingdom with what she thought was no competition, but Renard was the rightful ruler of the wesen world and he would take it back – a fact that Nick had heard at least a thousand times by now. According to the grapevine, Natalia was creating her kingdom in Portland, a creation that made Renard's blood boil. That was _his_ kingdom; Portland was his.

As much as Nick wanted to believe there was some hope in all this, his positive attitude was beginning to falter, as they were no closer to finding his friends than they were three months ago. They had tried to find Nick's parents due to a vision he'd had while he was in "Limbo," as Nick called it, but they couldn't even get a lead on them. No one knew anything of his parents, let alone where they were.

So, here they were, running again because they had been hiding in the Black Forest and they had almost been discovered by a group of Mauvais Dentes, the main attack dogs of the Royals.

Once far enough away, Nick turned to Renard, a tired look on both of their faces. Three months in hiding did nothing good for either of them.

"Sean, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was on lookout and I fell asleep. I'm"-

Renard pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Then, out of the blue, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Nick blinked, "What?"

"Are you okay?" Renard reiterated.

The Grimm nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Renard sighed in what sounded like relief. "Okay, Good. We got away; they didn't see us. We're okay so don't beat yourself up over this. We're both tired. I don't expect you – a human – to stay awake any more than me. I know it is futile to think you won't, because you will no matter what I say, but don't beat yourself up about this."

Nick smiled softly, leaning up to kiss his Mate. "Love you," he said.

"I love you, too, even if you are self-depreciating," Sean said, smiling. Somehow they both managed to make each other smile all the time, regardless of their dire situation.

Nick was about to kiss him again when suddenly he heard something with his heightened Grimm senses. Quickly he pulled Renard behind a tree. The man's taller form loomed over him protectively, pressing Nick's back against the tree with his front against Renard's own.

As distracting as it was, Nick pushed through his sudden desire for the man. Through the Bond, Nick said, _Keep your breathing as quiet as possible. They're talking._

He felt more than saw Sean's nod of understanding in the dark of the Black Forest.

Nick listened to the group of Mauvais Dentes. "I don't know about you, but I don't see anyone out here." One of them said.

"I know there was someone out here! There were two of them! Two men sleeping!"

Nick's eyes went wide. _One of them saw us,_ he told Renard.

 _We have to kill them._ Renard said. He moved to attack, but Nick held him back.

 _Wait! I hear something else._

"Listen, let's go back to Berlin. We've already missed the flight back for your stupid escapade. The Queen'll kill us for missing our posts, or did you forget we were supposed to guard the prisoners tonight?"

Nick could imagine one of them rolling his eyes. "There's not much to guard. The Fuchsbau just sits there and the Blutbad just howls. Jesus, that Blutbad is annoying. We're better off without him howling all night. Less of a headache."

Nick could hear them start to walk away. Before they could, however, Nick signaled to Renard that they could attack. They shared a look for a moment before Renard disappeared into the trees while Nick ran out into the open.

Nick was on them faster than they could say, "Hey, stop!" He kicked the first Mauvais Dentes down, silver eyes already locking onto the other two saber-tooth wesen. The moment they woged, they could see the Grimm within. "Grimm!" The other two yelled in a threatening growl.

The silver-eyed Grimm didn't respond. He only charged at the second Mauvais Dentes. The third went to grab him, but Nick was fast. He crouched, sliding across the wet forest floor and into the legs of his original target. The second cursed something in German right before Nick broke his neck in one swift motion. Without missing a beat, Nick rolled off the dead wesen and lifted his body into a standing position. He turned, swiftly kicking the third Mauvais Dentes down before he could grab him. Right as he was about to kill the third one, the first Mauvais Dentes – who Nick thought was unconscious – grabbed him from behind. Nick struggled against him while the third Mauvais Dentes got up and proceeded to punch him in the face and anywhere it could hit. The wesen went to grab his head and snap his neck, however, that was what the Grimm was waiting for. With the wesen's hands gripping him and the other one holding onto him, it gave Nick the perfect opportunity to use his magick to burn them.

In the time that they had been travelling, Nick had gained a significant control of his magickal core. He could pretty much do anything with his magick. The only problem with this was that his magick was so powerful it often left him drained and drew a lot of attention to their location. Because of this, he didn't use it very often.

In retrospect, using fire magick in the Black Forest was probably not the smartest idea, but he was lucky enough that the grass and other greenery were wet from the previous storms and the early morning dew.

The fire burned them, causing them to release Nick. The Grimm dived on the one in front of him while Renard took the opportunity to come in and kill the one behind him.

Panting at the exertion, Nick turned to Renard, the silver in his eyes still prominent, saying, "You could've came in before they hit me in the face"-

He was interrupted by the Royal's lips crashing into his own. He could feel through the Bond that his Mate was completely overtaken by the creature within. Even without the Bond, Nick could feel the pure need radiating off of Renard. He could feel it through the persistent, dominating pressure of Renard's lips against his own.

Nick gave in to Renard's sudden desire for control easily. He knew his Mate wouldn't hurt him if he resisted, but something had made him uneasy, so Nick couldn't deny him the comfort he needed.

Renard had been like this for a few days. Something would happen that didn't seem like a big deal to Nick, but Renard would go into "dominant, protective Mate" mode anyways. For example, three days ago, Nick was gathering food from the marketplace in Baden-Baden – something he'd been doing over and over again for a while – but, when he came back, Renard had gone protective on him and asked where he'd been, what he'd been doing travelling alone. Nick, not one to quiver in fear in front of his powerful Mate, stood his ground and told him he'd just been gathering food like he always did. Later, Renard had apologized with words as well as with mind-blowing sex. Afterwards, Renard admitted he wasn't sure what made him react this way. Nick just shook it off, saying it was probably just the high stress they were both feeling.

Yesterday, Nick was hunting a deer with Renard when he fell out of the tree he was perched on. The fall didn't hurt him in any way, but Renard was practically up his ass for the rest of the day, and not in the pleasurable way Nick usually preferred.

Right now, Nick could guess by the desire to reclaim that Renard wasn't too happy that those Mauvais Dentes had touched Nick, had hurt his Mate. Normally, Renard's possessive behavior didn't bother him (in fact, he usually found that it was quite the turn on), but if Renard got possessive because someone touched him during a fight, it could have bad consequences.

"Sean," Nick gasped out when Renard released his lips to suck on his neck. "Sean, as much as I would love to continue this, there are three dead wesen here that are kind of killing the mood."

Renard growled low, obviously not happy that his Mate wanted to stop, but pulled away anyways. He would never do anything his Mate didn't want.

Pulling away from each other for a moment, they got to work in hiding the bodies in the forest. Nick used his magick to hide the bodies under a thick layer of dirt so they weren't visible to anyone walking by. As he did so his thoughts wandered to a cartoon he once saw about a kid who could control the elements. He chuckled softly when thought about himself being a twelve year old bald monk.

Once finished, they got out of the area to set up camp somewhere else. Nick settled himself between Sean's legs, resting comfortably. Now that the heat of the fight was over, the memories of what the Mauvais Dentes were talking about came back to him. "Sean, I think I got a lead!"

"A lead?"

"I heard the Mauvais Dentes talking about a Blutbad and a Fuchsbau in Berlin. What are the chances that they'd be holding a Fuchsbau and a Blutbad together who aren't Monroe and Rosalie?"

Renard nodded, considering what Nick said. "Those chances would be very slim," he said. "We can head there tomorrow after we've rested." At Nick's angered glare, he said, "We would be no good to Monroe and Rosalie if we marched in on a wesen citadel completely exhausted."

Nick's anger dissipated into petulance as he mumbled, "You're right..."

Renard smiled, kissing Nick on the top of his head. "Get some sleep, Nick. I will watch over you the first half of the night."

Nick nodded, then walked over to their sleeping bag, falling into an uneasy sleep with a strange dream.

Nick dreamt he was back in the Library of the Grimms. He walked up to a blank book on the one desk in the middle of the Library, curious. "Why am I here?" He asked.

The book opened up, its blank pages filling with words and pictures. He looked down at the pages, discovering it was his family tree. He looked down the list, seeing himself, his parents, all the way up to Philipp Grimm. He looked over his family tree when he discovered something on his mother's side. In the nineteenth century, his ancestors were listed as 'John Jones and Jacob Terrier.' It wasn't the fact that it was two men in a relationship that confused him; he was in the same situation. No, that normally wouldn't confuse him. What confused him was the fact that they had a son who supposedly carried his family bloodline all the way down to him.

He understood the entire family tree up until it came to John and Jacob. Even if they had a kid together, that kid wouldn't have the Grimm blood. The only way the Grimm bloodline could continue is if the Grimm in the relationship had a kid with a woman on the side.

"But the tree wouldn't show the other man," he voiced aloud. "The tree wouldn't show both John and Jacob. It would show John or Jacob and the other woman..."

He thought about it for a moment. Men couldn't have children, so what happened? "Who is this kid's mother?"

Jacob Terrier's picture began to glow a pink color, signaling he was the mother. Even more confused, but going on a hunch, he asked, "Is Jacob Terrier or John Jones the Grimm?" Sure enough, Jacob Terrier's picture filled with a black aura, showing he was the Grimm as well.

"So what? He's a Grimm and the carrier of the child? How is that even possible?"

Before the book could give him an answer, he felt himself pulled away from and out of the dream.

"Nick, Nick. Come on, babe. You need to wake up. It's time to go."

Nick groaned his protests at being shaken awake, but woke up anyways. He turned to Renard, wanting to tell him about his dream, but something deep within him told him to wait, that this was not a good time. Instead, he asked, "Why did you let me sleep?"

Renard kissed him on the forehead. "Because you fell asleep on your last watch. You needed it more than me."

Nick glared. "You need sleep, too, you know."

Renard nodded in agreement. "Yes, but not nearly as much as you. I am over two-hundred and fifty years old. I've slept enough in my life."

Nick just nodded, still too tired to fight. Standing and stretching, he asked Renard, "You ready to go to Berlin? I don't even know where it is from here."

"It's about a seven hour drive from Baden-Baden."

Nick nodded. "How are we going to get there?"

"We're going to rent a car."

Nick's brow furrowed in confusion. "Do I really need to list all the reasons why that is a bad idea?" Nick questioned. "First off, we destroyed our credit cards, we destroyed our cellphones, Identification cards, anything that could help Natalia's men identify us. Second, we have no money and, even if we did, the car company would run our records, which would immediately get sent to the Portland PD with a red flag. Who knows what the department is doing about us? We were supposed to return eventually; they probably think we're dead," Nick shook his head away from the tangent. "But regardless, Sean, Portland will be notified and so will Natalia."

Renard just nodded like he thought everything Nick was saying was entirely valid, but that he was missing something. "You are absolutely right, but you seem to have forgotten that you are a Witch."

Nick blinked. "Yes, Sean, I know this. How is that going to help? I can't exactly create cash out of thin air." Renard just smirked when Nick said this. At his amused expression, Nick ventured by saying, "I can create cash out of thin air, can't I?"

Renard laughed. "Not exactly, but you can make someone think you have it."

"So what, I'm creating an illusion?"

Renard nodded. "Yes."

"How do you know I can do this?"

"My family has had quite a past with the Witches, as I'm sure you know by now. I know everything they can do. Plus, my mother is a hexenbiest, as you also know, and they have extensive knowledge of Witch powers, considering where they got their own powers in the past. She used illusion spells a lot when we were on the run from my father."

Nick nodded, sympathy bleeding through the Bond from the Grimm. Renard gave him a reassuring smile, telling Nick with no words that he was fine. "Well, now I know I can do it, but the real question is how do I do it?"

Renard furrowed his brow. "I admit that I honestly didn't think that far. I assumed you had some sort of method. How did you learn half the spells you know?"

Nick pondered this. "Most of the magick I know I learned in the middle of a fight. I don't really think about it; it kind of just happens. Afterwards, it's like the instructions for the spell are ingrained in my mind," he said, though it didn't feel like a good enough description. It felt whenever he was trying to explain something to someone, but he couldn't find the exact way to describe it so he supplemented similar words. As he thought about the right words, they came to him like an epiphany of relief. "No. They're not ingrained in my mind. It's more like the spell is stored in my core."

Renard nodded slowly, considering this piece of information. "So, what you're saying is that spells will come to you when your instincts override your rational side?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Renard smirked devilishly, an unsettled, foreboding feeling washing over Nick. "Sean, the last time you gave me that look, I was sent into the middle of a Blutbadden territory war."

Renard looked offended. "I said before that I didn't know the other Blutbadden pack was there," he defended. "I apologize for that. I should've done more research on the situation."

Nick chuckled. "I know. It's fine. I'm just teasing you."

Out of the blue, Renard said, "Do you trust me, Nick?"

Nick nodded. Without missing a beat, he said, "Of course I do. I trust you with my life."

"Good, because you're going to hate me for a while after this. Just know I love you and it's for the others." He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Nick's lips.

Nick tilted his head in confusion when Renard pulled away and called his instincts forward, the green eyes of the Royal within shining forth. "Sean? Wha"-

The Grimm had to send the Royal back with a strong gust of wind when he reached forward as if to rip his throat out. "What the Hell?!"

Nick barely had enough time to recover before Renard was charging at him again. "Sean, stop! At least tell me what you're planning!"

But Renard didn't answer him. He simply attacked him again. Nick glared. He was trying to hold his Grimm instincts at bay for as long as possible; he needed to know what his Mate was planning before he could go along with it.

He decided to find out what Renard was thinking through the Bond, but couldn't read anything. It was as if the connection between the two of them was completely cut off. He couldn't even read his emotions.

This pissed Nick off significantly. How dare that bastard do that! He thought. Sean might be a Royal, but I'm a fucking Witch, he thought, anger coursing through him. I'll force my way through the Bond.

He pushed with as much magick as he dared – he didn't want to hurt Renard – but the only thing he got was a heavy, threatening growl, telling Nick that, if he pushed, he would be disobeying the order from his dominant Mate.

In the three months they had spent in the Black Forest, Renard and Nick didn't have much else to do but talk. During this time, Nick learned a lot about the Mate Bond he shared with Renard. He learned that the Bond was similar to a combination of the bonds between the fictional Alpha with an Omega and a king with a loyal follower. Renard was the Alpha and the king while Nick was the Omega and the loyal follower, so to speak. In the case of the Alpha and Omega, the Alpha would give an order and the Omega would be forced to follow it. The Omega didn't have a choice. In the case of the king and the follower, the king could give an order and the follower had the choice to follow it but, because the follower was loyal, he would most likely side with his king.

In regards to Renard and Nick, Renard had given Nick an order to stop pushing the Bond. Like the follower, Nick had a choice whether to follow the order however, like the Omega, he would feel compelled to follow it. Nick knew all of this but, because of his overwhelming desire to please his Mate, he did not push any further. Because he knew he couldn't push, it only seemed to make Nick angrier. As silver bled into Nick's eyes, Renard would soon see that his Grimm side was coming to the forefront. If Renard wanted to fight, he would get a fight.

Renard's assault on Nick was unrelenting. It went on for what felt like days. Every time Nick would try to run, Renard would always find him. If this keeps up I'll die of exhaustion, Nick thought as he fought off another attack from Renard. I need to hide.

He couldn't hide though. Renard kept attacking him every time he turned around to run. I'm so tired… He thought miserably. He was already tired because he hadn't really slept well in the past week or so. If I could just turn invisible for about five minutes, I would take the shortest nap in existence. He thought to himself.

Just like that, he felt a tug at his magickal core. It was a strange, yet familiar feeling. The core was trying to create what Nick wanted, which was invisibility. Nick stood there, closed his eyes, and concentrated on letting the core do its work. He could only pray that Renard didn't punch him with his eyes closed.

He took a sharp intake in breath when he felt his magick envelop him in a shroud. Quickly, he opened his eyes and moved right as Renard was headed his way. The Royal looked around, even stared right at Nick, but didn't appear to even see him. Then, just like that, Renard turned his features back into their human façade. "Nick, where are you?" He called. "I just saw you a moment ago."

Nick, deciding to be petulant, didn't reveal himself right away. He let Renard panic for a moment before he revealed himself. Still invisible, he walked over to Renard, attempting to ignore the distraught expression on his Mate's face. When he revealed himself, Renard jumped. "Jesus, Nick! You scared me!"

"I scared you? What the fuck, Sean! You attacked me out of nowhere! What if someone from Natalia's army was near? We would've been so exhausted that they would've killed us!" Nick seethed.

"But Nick, I"-

"No, no excuses. I don't care about the reason. You attacked me without even bothering to tell me why."

"Nick."

"You blocked our connection to the Bond."

"Nick."

"Not to mention you've been acting really weird lately, Mr. Overprotective."

"Nick!"

"Why have you been acting like that"-

"Nick! Give me five minutes to explain and then you can be pissed at me." Renard finally got in.

Nick considered this. "As much as I want to say no, you bastard, go ahead."

"You said it yourself that you were under duress when you learned different spells. Well, I put you under duress. That's why I attacked you. I was trying to get your core to do something. We need to create an illusion. While invisibility is not what I had in mind, I think we can work with that."

"Why didn't you tell me that's what you were doing?"

"If you knew, the situation wouldn't be real. You wouldn't be in a situation where your core would react," Renard explained. If Nick were to study the Royal's face, he would see that his Mate looked similar to an animal tamer trying to calm an enraged beast.

Nick glared. He knew Renard was right, but he was still upset for some reason. He wasn't usually like this. If he heard solid reasoning for a bad situation he was usually fine. The fact that he was still upset and didn't really know why was only making him more upset.

Renard, having reopened the Bond, could feel Nick's unease about something. With worry etched on his features, he asked, "Nick, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Nick didn't say anything. He just leaned against Renard for comfort, the Royal giving it willingly. "Nick, what's the matter?" Renard asked again.

Nick shook his head against the larger man's chest. "I think I'm just tired," he said in barely a whisper.

Renard nodded. "I know I landed quite a few solid hits. Does it hurt anywhere?"

Nick pulled away, a heated glare in his eyes that was pointed towards Renard. "It hurts everywhere, you jackass. Why don't you put your ego away for a minute? Yep, you landed a few solid hits on me. No need to brag about it."

Renard blinked, Nick's sudden mood swing catching him off guard. "I'm sorry, Nick. If I offended you with that statement I did not mean to." Renard was going to explain to Nick that he merely said that he landed a few solid hits to mean that he hit him pretty hard, but something was telling Renard to placate his Mate; rationale would not work in this situation.

Nick just ignored him and stormed off as if he were angry, but Renard could feel through the Bond that something was bothering his Mate. Renard could only follow him.

They ended up setting up a campsite in silence. As they settle down for sleep, Renard felt a pang of hurt that Nick didn't lie down right next to him. The hurt dissipated when he felt through the Bond that Nick was actually really upset, almost to the point of panic, but not at him. Nick was more upset with himself. Careful to send positive energy through the Bond, he then spoke through it. Nick, are you okay?

Silently, he watched as Nick just stood up and walked over to him and laid down, curling his body in such a way that he was pressed right against Renard. The Royal could feel his Mate shaking so he wrapped his arms around him protectively, as if to shield him from the world that was upsetting him. Sean, I'm sorry. He said. I'm so scared. I don't know how we're going to fix this. I wish we could just all be back in Portland again playing that stupid drunk truth or dare game, but that's never going to happen again. We'll never be able to go home.

Renard pulled him impossibly closer. Yes we will, Nick. We're going to fix this.

Nick laughed humorlessly. Usually I'm the one saying that. You're usually the cynical one.

Renard kissed the top of his Mate's head. Yes, but that's why I have you. You always pull me out of my own head with your insane positivity.

I bet you're wondering whether all that 'insane positivity' was a lie now that I'm laying here having a damn near panic attack about how freaked out I am.

Renard shook his head. Of course not. You're allowed to be scared, Nick. We all are.

Are you scared, Sean?

Renard thought about lying for the sake of comfort, but there was no comfort in their situation. They only had each other, and lying to each other would only create a rift. I'm scared to death, Nick. I'm scared that we're not going to save everyone. I'm scared that by going into this alone, it's a surefire death sentence. I'm scared for our friends. He paused. I'm scared that I'm going to lose you again. But you know what?

What?

It doesn't always have to be acts of undaunted heroics that make people do great things. Sometimes fear drives people in ways a fearless hero can't compete with.

How?

Because the moment someone grows tired of being scared is the moment fear becomes a motivator instead of a constraint. Heroes who say they're fearless have never hit rock bottom; they don't know what it's like to lose it all. So, they stay in this world they've created in their minds, not realizing that one wrong action could destroy everything. When their world is gone, fearless heroes usually can't recover from something like that.

However, when you're scared, you know what it's like to hit the bottom – you're already there – and the only way out is up.

We admit we are scared. Now the only thing we have left to do is decide what we're going to do about it.

Nick nodded. "I love you, Sean. We can do this."

"I love you, too, Nick."

* * *

 **I get so inspirational when I write glorified gay porn, don't I?**

 **Please! Tell me what you think! And tell me how awful I am for making you wait this long. Honestly I kept writing and rewriting this because I hated it. I think this is the best one I wrote, to be completely honest. I'm really excited to finally get back on the writing train. College left me with no time, but I'm almost graduated now! Accounting major, Spanish minor for the WIN.**


	2. Nick & Renard: Sending a Message

**Look! A wild Chapter 2 appeared!**

 **Hey, just wanted to let you all know that I'm finished with Chapter 4 and have to edit it, but it will be done soon. I'm ahead of schedule!**

 **I've also got some ideas for new Fanfics that I want to write alongside this one. When I get writer's block I tend to write other things so I can focus on something else while still writing/being productive. So, I need some votes. At the end of this chapter you'll see what ideas I have. You all can vote for my next fanfiction, if you so choose.**

 **Ahora, VAMOS A CAPITULO DOS.**

* * *

To say Nick's sleep was troubled would be an understatement. He fell asleep rather quickly initially, however, his dreams were plagued with the fears that Renard spoke of.

He dreamed his friends were dead before they could save them.

He dreamed Portland was in ruins.

He dreamed Renard was killed right in front of him.

Each time he would fall asleep, these dreams would wake him with a start. He was awake right now, falling back asleep to the sound of Renard's steady breathing behind him and the feel of Renard's strong arms pulling him closer. He felt a bit more relaxed when he fell back asleep this time. Finally, he was gifted with dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next time Nick woke, it was time to get a car. Or, in Renard's words, "have Nick turn them invisible and steal it."

The two men walked together through the streets of Baden-Baden, anxiety eating at both of them. The air smelled of the normal city pollution, but it was also filled with a sugary scent that could only be attributed to the different eateries around them. Nick, though he didn't say it out loud, he was sure he smelled something like soap, but wasn't sure where it was coming from. As much as they would both like to stop and truly take in the lush scenery of the town, they were on a mission and didn't have time to let their guards down. It had been a long time since they'd both been out of the forest; being in broad daylight where both men could be spotted by the enemy at any time was a little unnerving, to say the least. Nick offered to turn them invisible, but Renard had said not to because they weren't sure how much the illusion magick would drain Nick. Magickal exhaustion would knock him out for a while and they needed Nick to be ready for a fight at all times.

They both tried to take in their surroundings as much as they could. There were hundreds of people walking around at this time of day. Baden-Baden was a tourist town, after all, so they could blend in with the crowd rather easily. That didn't help their anxiety, however, as they (Nick) often found themselves (himself) in bad situations.

As they got closer to the car dealership, Nick could see just what type of car they were "borrowing."

"A Porsche, Sean? Really? I mean, if you want to stand out from the crowd, be my guest, but I'd rather walk to Berlin than paint that expensive target over my head!"

Renard glared at his Mate, even if he did have a point. "This is the only dealership that I remember in this town. It's not like I have the available sources to search for less conspicuous cars."

Nick huffed and after muttering a comment about rich Royals who know nothing of Chevys, kept quiet. He was right; they didn't have the internet at their disposal anymore so they had to make do with what they had.

Just then, Nick had a thought. Oh, no… "Sean?"

"Yes, Nick?"

"Do you think my invisibility ability extends to other people or just me?"

Renard tried to hide the anxiety produced from the sudden realization of his own stupidity, but it was unsuccessful through the Bond. "Well, I hadn't actually thought about that…"

Nick blinked. Renard always thought of everything. This was the first time he'd seen Renard not realize something so crucial (with the exception of his sister being absolutely insane). He should probably feel scared right about now, but his emotions decided that he was warmed by the thought of Renard letting him see a less secure side of himself.

"We could test it out here real quick?"

Renard shook his head. "If it doesn't work, you will have wasted some of your magick and I'm not sure how long this is going to take. We don't have time for experiments."

Nick could see on the older man's expression that he was coming up short with a plan. That was when Nick's brain decided to help. "Sean, I've got an idea."

Renard turned to his Mate. "I'm listening."

Nick explained his plan rather quickly, filling Renard in on what they were going to do. The older man smirked at Nick's ploy. "You are very clever, Nick. You think well on your toes, something I admit I am not as adept at doing. I am happy to know that you will be by my side when we take back our territory."

Nick smiled at the praise. "You got the plan down?"

Renard nodded. "Yes. Let's hurry. I do not wish to be standing out in the open much longer."

"Okay, good. Me either." Suddenly, Nick vanished, but he could still sense Nick was near through the Bond. He walked towards the entrance and waited for Nick's signal to enter.

Nick, meanwhile, was walking into the dealership looking for a manager. As he got closer to the sounds of voices coming from an office in the back, he realized something.

Sean, he said through the Bond. I don't speak German.

Out of all the things Renard could do in a situation like this, laughing was not the one Nick appreciated. Bastard… Nick muttered.

Nick, just speak to him. The chances of him knowing English are pretty good. If he doesn't speak English, I'll tell you what to say.

Couldn't you have just told me that instead of laughing at me?

Nick, focus.

No, Nick said petulantly. I deserve the right to know why you laughed at me.

If he were standing in front of Renard, Nick might have witnessed an actual eye roll from the prince. It was just very… American of you to not know that most countries around the world teach English as a second language.

Oh, so because I'm American that makes me stupid? Okay, Mr. Worldly Prince. I bow to your superiority.

Nick, please. You're being ridiculous. Go hold the manager hostage like we planned. You can yell at me after we get the car, okay?

Promise?

Yes, I promise. Go get the damn car.

Okay, okay. Fine. Jesus…

Nick walked into the manager's office and waited for the other people to leave his office. He quickly stepped to the side when the employees left the office, careful not to let any of them touch him.

The manager was a larger man. He was taller than Nick, bald, and had a bit of a gut. His attire reminded him of Monroe. It made him momentarily sad, but also reminded him of why he was here. As the manager stood, Nick ran behind his desk and grabbed him, holding his hand over his mouth so the manager would not scream. "Do you understand English?" Nick asked. "Nod if you do."

The man nodded his head, fear clearly evident on his features. "Okay, listen carefully to me. A man is going to walk through that door. He is going to ask to buy one of your cars and you are going to give it to him. If you try to run, scream, or notify anyone that this is happening, I will kill you. Do you understand? Nod if you understand."

The man nodded. "I do not know what tricks you are using, but I will not stand for this. I will report you to the authorities."

"Good luck explaining to the authorities that an invisible man held you hostage and made you give a car away for free." Nick challenged. "Are you going to cooperate or do I need to put a knife in your arm and call it a day?"

The man shook his head. "N-no need for that."

"Good. Now, go out there and pretend like your life isn't in danger."

For a moment, Nick felt bad for threatening this man who had nothing to do with everything that was going on. However, he knew that if he wanted to save his friends, he would have to make some tough decisions. Besides, he wouldn't actually kill this man. Shaking his head of those thoughts, he returned to his mission.

Sean, walk in. Nick said through the Bond.

Right on cue, Renard walked in. Nick wasn't sure how he did it – they'd been living in the forest for months and showers were hard to come by – but Renard looked as immaculate as the day he first met him. Somehow Renard could make a pair of dirty jeans; a muddy, old t-shirt; and five o'clock shadow look like professional attire.

"Hello, sir," Renard said politely. "I'm looking to buy a car. I can pay cash."

Nick kicked his hostage lightly in the back of his leg. He whispered in his ear, "That's him. Give him whatever he wants."

The manager walked with Renard through the lot and, when Renard picked a car, the man went to the back and handed him the keys. "You're… giving me the car?" Renard asked.

Good play, Sean. Make him think you have no idea what's going on. He said. And here you say you're no good at thinking on your toes.

Though Renard's expression showed nothing, Nick knew that Renard was elated by his Mate's praise.

"I insist, sir. You seem like a good man."

Nick held in a snort. Lying through his teeth.

I have to admit that he is a good salesman. Renard said. He is being polite even when being held hostage. When we get Portland back, he will receive something for his troubles.

Nick's heart swelled. Awe, that's so sweet.

I can feel your sappiness, you know.

I know. He laughed. I also know my sappiness repulses you.

Nothing about you repulses me, Nick.

Before Nick could reply with another sappy comment, Renard began to speak to the salesman. "Thank you for your generosity, sir. I will be sure to repay you for this when I return home."

"It is of no trouble."

In minutes, the title was signed over to Renard under a fake name. Renard was driving off the lot and down the road where he got out of the car and waited for Nick to catch up and make himself visible to his Mate.

Nick appeared in front of Renard looking out of breath. "Did you have to drive this far down?" Nick said with a huff of breath from running to catch up.

"It was merely a precaution," he said.

"I think you're just mad at me," Nick started. "I've been a bit… temperamental lately and for that I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me lately."

Renard nodded, pulling his Mate close and kissing his forehead softly. "I think you're just tired. We both are. I know this is rough, but I will make this better."

"We will, Sean. Not just you."

"I know," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sean," he returned. "Now, let's go save Monroe and Rosalie."

"They might not even be there," Sean said as he climbed back into the driver's side and Nick climbed in the passenger seat.

"I know," Nick said exasperatedly as he shut the car door. "But this is the only lead we have and I'm tired of staying in hiding, not knowing what our next move will be. I have to do something, Sean. I can't stay in hiding anymore."

Renard started the car and began to drive down the road. "Neither can I. It's time we come out of the forest, Nick. We need to plan our attacks. We've mourned our losses. Now it's time to win our rightful place back and we start with rescuing Monroe and Rosalie."

Nick smiled. "I love it when you give your little speeches," he said. "It's hot when you get all motivated and dominant."

Renard smirked but didn't say anything else as he shifted gears, teeth bared like they did when his Mate complimented his wesen side. For the next seven hours, he and Nick sat in comfortable silence, only talking unless strictly necessary and only stopping to get gas. They needed to get their thoughts together before the big reveal. There was no way they were going to go into this fortress and have no one see them. Soon, Natalia would know they were alive and she would do everything in her power to find them and kill them. Right now, she had a lot of power.

But they wouldn't let her win. They would do this. They would win. They will win for their people if nothing else.

* * *

They made it to Berlin right on time. Renard knew of the general vicinity of the place the Mauvais Dentes in the forest were speaking of, but he wasn't certain as to where the fortress' exact location was.

After having pulled over and walking for a while in the dark, Nick was getting frustrated. "Where the hell is this place? How can we miss a giant castle?"

Renard paused for a moment. Nick wasn't sure what he was doing, but he looked like he had heard something. "Maybe we're not looking for a castle. They just said that they were being held in Berlin," he explained. "Do you hear that?"

Nick, using his Grimm senses, listened for any soft noise that Renard was hearing. When he did hear it, his eyes widened. It sounded like a wolf's sad howl. "The wesen in the forest did say that the Blutbad was howling endlessly," he said. "But it's coming from underground."

Renard's face lit up in realization of something. "So that's what Viktor meant…"

"What?" Nick said, confused.

"Viktor used to joke that he would bury his enemies alive. I guess this is what he meant."

"This is his place?" Nick asked. When Renard nodded, Nick muttered, "How morbid."

"Come on. We're close. We just need to find the entrance."

Eventually they did find the entrance. It was well hidden behind some trees and a bush. It was strange how it wasn't guarded, but they both figured that since their leader thought her opposition was either dead or captured, she was slacking on her duties to keep prisoners guarded. Plus, from that howl, Nick could tell that any other opposition felt defeated by the deaths of their kings.

Quietly, Nick and Renard made their way into the underground fortress, following the sad howl. It was dark, but it didn't matter. Nick was fully Grimmed, eyes a deep silver, and Renard's were glowing the green of the royal within. They were using only their instincts to find their way, but they had damn good instincts to guide them.

It was a long staircase that, if he weren't on high alert, Nick would think was rather stereotypical for a bunch of Royals with castles and fortresses.

Once they reached the bottom they hid in the shadows looking for any form of movement as they followed the sounds of the howl which had only gotten louder as they made their way down the stairs and through the fortress. It was in the room next to the staircase room that Renard and Nick found all the security. Before they entered the room, they hid behind the archway so they could get a good view of the room and the people inside.

It must've been mealtime because there were eight guards all sitting around a large table eating something that looked hardly edible. Nick heard them say something in German – probably complaining about the food. Nick turned to look up at Renard, asking without saying, "Fight or flight?"

Renard looked back for a moment. He checked the room for any other way around the kitchen area. He thought it was a bit strange even for a fortress to have a kitchen built right at the entrance, which meant there had to be another way around. It took a moment for his eyes to focus before he noticed a well-blended in door on the wall to their right. Renard started walking towards it, Nick hot on his heels. They continued their way through the corridors until they came to a locked door. The howl was practically deafening at this point. The Royal took a moment to sniff the air. If he was going to break down a door and attract all the guards, he might as well make sure this was worth it. His sense of smell wasn't as good as a Blutbad's, but he could recognize a familiar scent.

As soon as he caught the scent, he broke down the door. Later, Nick would probably joke, saying he completely destroyed the door in his haste, but Renard wasn't thinking about that. As soon as the door opened, they ran in, Renard going right while Nick went left. The two men heard the faint sounds of their names being said with shock, but they couldn't focus on that right now. They searched for any guards in the room, which there were none. Must be getting lazy after all this time and no enemies.

Once the room was cleared, Nick ran to the cell door. It looked exactly like a prison cell with metal bars and a simple door to put the key in. That's when it hit Nick.

He didn't have a key.

Footsteps could be heard behind them. The guards were coming because they heard the door break. Nick was pissed. He'd been in the woods for three months and had finally found Monroe and Rosalie. He would not lose this hope because he forgot to find the damn key. "Stand back," he managed to say before he completely blew the cell door off its hinges with his magick.

The Blutbad and the Fuchsbau ran out looking a bit rough around the edges, and that was putting it nicely. Monroe needed a good shave and they both needed a long shower, new clothes, and a good night's sleep, but that would come later. For now, they just had to get out of here alive.

The guards were close. Renard, Monroe, and Rosalie looked ready to fight to the death, but Nick just looked murderous. These people fought for the woman who took everything from him, from all of them. Now that he had part of his family back, he would do everything in his power to protect them.

As the need to protect grew stronger he called as much magick as he dared from his core and waited until the sounds were as close as possible before he sent a stream of blue fire down the stairs. They would be completely incinerated in moments. Once the screaming tapered off, Nick made his way down the hall, the others following slowly behind him.

As they walked through, Monroe and Rosalie almost gagged at the smell and sight of burning flesh, but Nick and Renard didn't even flinch. They expected this from Renard, but not Nick. From the moment Nick walked in they could tell something was off about the Grimm but they weren't exactly sure what it was. They didn't think it was a bad thing; their instincts would be screaming at them to run if it was. This was the exact opposite of that. They felt safer with Nick right now than they would anywhere else. Normally, there was a certain level of safety that they felt around the Grimm. Right now they could sense that Nick was in some kind of protective mode. It was similar to a Blutbad protecting its pack, but it was more severe than that. Monroe couldn't quite put his finger on it until he got a strong smell full of Nick's scent.

He was acting like a mother protecting her children.

Monroe turned to Rosalie, wondering if the Fuchsbau smelled it too. Judging by her expression, she had.

Nick could hear something coming from the kitchen. He walked over to the large room, expecting someone to come out, but all he saw was a man cowering in fear once he saw the Grimm. "Please, don't hurt me! I'm begging you!" He screamed in a thick, German accent.

Nick considered the man's words carefully. "You know, at one point in my life, I might have felt sorry for you. Now? Now I really couldn't care less about your pleas. The only reason I'm letting you live is because you're going to deliver a message for me."

Nick thought about giving a long speech to give to Natalia. He thought about saying, 'You're going to go to Portland and you're going to tell that bitch you call Queen that her days are numbered, that I will be the one to run her through.'

Instead he only said, "'We're coming,'" Nick said. "I want you tell your Queen that we're coming."

Then, with all of his witnesses, Nick proceeded to burn his handprint into the flesh of the man's neck. The man screamed in agony. Right as he looked ready to pass out, Nick threw him almost across the room. The pained man scrambled to his feet and ran up the stairs as fast as he could to get away from the Grimm of his nightmares.

For a brief moment, Monroe, Rosalie, and even Renard saw in Nick the Grimm they had all been raised to fear. However, they were not afraid. They knew without a shadow of a doubt that Nick would not hurt them. As a Grimm, Nick was following his heritage. The original Grimms were arbitrators. This was Nick's way of passing his judgment to the Queen.

Once outside, Monroe and Rosalie looked as if they might cry. They hadn't seen the outside for a long time. Taking a moment to breathe in the air, the two wesen closed their eyes, letting the chill of the night wash over them before turning to their rescuers. Monroe was about to hug Nick, but before he did, he turned to Renard. If Nick's scent was anything to go by, Renard would be in a state of overprotectiveness of his Mate. If Monroe, another naturally dominant wesen, went near Nick without his permission, Renard might strike. When the Royal nodded his consent, the Blutbad pulled the Grimm in for a long hug. The two didn't care about the rancid smell, the way their clothes stuck to their skin, or the dirt caked on their flesh. This was two best friends finding each other after months of thinking the other was dead.

"I thought you were dead," Monroe said. Nick, to Monroe's benefit, didn't acknowledge the quiver in his voice.

"For a while there, I thought I was dead, too." Nick returned, trying to lighten the mood for his friend.

They pulled away, Monroe patting Nick on the shoulder before Nick wrapped Rosalie in a warm hug. "I missed you. When we picked up your trail, we made a beeline for this place."

"How did you find us?" Rosalie asked. "We thought you guys were both dead and your bodies burned in the fire?"

"I promise I'll explain later, but we can't stay here," Nick said. "Eventually Natalia is going to want an update on her prisoners and when she doesn't get a response, she's going to know they escaped. Plus, we don't know how quickly that messenger will get there," he explained. "We have to go somewhere."

"Where, Nick?" Renard asked. "We can't go to any of my safe houses. Natalia will surely find us there."

"Olaf," Monroe said.

"What?" Nick asked, confused.

"My great-uncle Olaf was a newsreel cameraman in the twenties. Most of his work was done here in Berlin so he bought a small house here. He's my great-uncle on my father's side, so you can imagine how angry he'd be if he knew that I'm bringing a Grimm to his house. My father's side of the family isn't as level-headed as the Blutbadden on my mother's side. You remember me telling you about my uncle Felix-"

"Monroe!" Nick interrupted. "We don't have time. Why does this matter?"

"Right, sorry," Monroe mumbled. "My family still owns the house. It's on the northern edge of the Berlin city limits. I know how to get there."

"Lead the way, Monroe," Nick said. "We need to get out of here."

They grabbed the Porsche and made their way to Monroe's great-uncle's house. In the backseat, Monroe and Rosalie were discussing something. Deciding that it wasn't their place, Nick and Renard didn't listen in on the conversation with their heightened hearing.

"Do you think Nick or Renard knows?" Rosalie asked.

"I know Renard doesn't know. If he did, Nick wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere, let alone into a dangerous fortress with a lot of enemies waiting to kill him."

"You're right. I don't think Nick knows either." Rosalie said.

"I don't know about that," Monroe began. "Nick seems like he knows something is up, but doesn't know exactly what it is yet."

"Should we tell them?"

"No," Monroe said rather quickly. "I hate to say this because I'm going to sound like a huge asshole, but we can't have Nick out of commission for nine months. I know Renard means well and has every right to protect his Mate, but we're at war. If the enemy finds out that Renard is trying to protect Nick, she'll do everything in her power to get to him. It would honestly be safer for Nick to hide him in plain sight and protect him when necessary."

Rosalie nodded. "That makes sense, but he can't stay out in the open forever. If we can smell his scent change, it's only a matter of time before the others will be able to as well."

Monroe sighed. With a determined, protective countenance, he said with sincerity, "We'll protect him."

Monroe ended the conversation with his wife by giving some directions to Renard on how to get to the house. After a few wrong turns, they made it to the quaint house (nobody blamed Monroe because, for one, he hadn't been to Germany in a long time and two, he wasn't exactly sure where they were, as he had been blindfolded when he was taken to the underground fortress over three months ago).

It was a simple home inside and out. It was surrounded by trees for miles, which made sense since the current owners were Blutbadden. On the outside, it was painted blue with white trim, windows on either side of the front door and every side of the house. Once you walked in, you came to a small living room. In the living room to the right, there was a TV against the wall. On the opposite side there was a couch with end tables on either side of it. Two older-looking lamps were sitting on the edges of the end tables. A coffee table was sitting about two feet in front of the couch.

Across from them was a hallway that led to two bedrooms on the left side and a single bathroom on the right side. The first bedroom had a desk against the far wall with a two-person bed on the other side. The closet was on the opposite side of the bed. In the other bedroom there was a large, king-sized mattress lying on the floor, but that was it. They looked in the closet and found sheets, blankets, and pillows that fit the two mattresses in the house.

At the end of the hall to the right was a laundry room that might fit one person inside. If you walked left, you'd enter a sizeable kitchen with what looked like an old kitchen table made of oak. There was a backdoor leading to a small patio outside.

"This is a nice place Monroe," Rosalie said. "It's cute."

Monroe scoffed. "Cute? Olaf is rolling in his grave! It's functional, Rosalie. Functional."

She smiled. "Of course, honey."

Though Nick protested, Monroe and Rosalie took the smaller bed. Nick tried to offer the larger bed to the married wesen, but they insisted. "You both have been sleeping on the cold, forest ground for three months. We at least got a warmer cell with cots." Monroe conveniently left out that, in the Grimm's current condition, he should be sleeping on the more comfortable mattress.

When Rosalie and Monroe went to town for food, Nick and Renard finally had some time alone. They were alone in the forest, but there really wasn't much time for them to be alone together in peace. As soon as the Fuchsbau and the Blutbad left, Renard pulled Nick close, capturing his lips in a knee-weakening kiss. The Grimm groaned; besides for one quick go in the forest, they hadn't had sex in at least a month so the slightest touch from his Mate had him quickly hardening in his jeans.

"Sean," he groaned, trying to get his dominant's attention. "Sean," he gasped.

Renard misunderstood and moved to his neck, dragging his teeth across the vein. "Sean, we can't do this right now," Nick managed, though he didn't sound convinced even to himself.

"Why not?" Renard said, smirking against the smaller man's throat before adding pressure to his next press of teeth.

Nick cried out, instinctually pulling Sean closer, silently begging him to keep doing that before he forced his head to clear up as much as it could.

"S-Sean, Monroe and Rosalie…"

"What about them?" Renard asked in a level voice that would have pissed Nick off if he wasn't so flustered.

"They will come back and kn-know what we were doing. Th-they can smell it."

Renard chuckled, his soft laughter sounding deep. "You don't need a wesen sense of smell to know that, Nick. That's why they said they'd be back in a couple hours. They're giving us space."

The Royal returned to his quest of marking every inch of the column of Nick's neck, feeling the heat of the Grimm's embarrassment as well as the heat of need radiating from him. "We really shouldn't…"

"I don't think you believe that any more than I do."

There was a long pause before Nick finally caved. "When they get back, we're returning the favor," Nick said.

"Agreed," Renard obliged.

Then the protests were over as Nick pulled Renard in as the taller one pushed the younger man against the nearest empty wall. They stumbled towards the back bedroom, Renard shutting the door behind him before practically tackling Nick onto the mattress. It only took moments for Renard to pull Nick's shirt off then proceed to pull his jeans and boxers down in one swift motion, leaving the Grimm fully bare before him. Silver had bled into his eyes. In the moonlight shining through the window, it gave the Grimm an almost ethereal glow. "Beautiful," the Royal practically sang. Nick answered by pulling at Renard's shirt, trying to make the Royal catch the hint.

As much as the Royal wanted to take this slow, as much as he wanted to drag this out and practically torture Nick until he was begging incoherently, they just didn't have the time. Plus, judging by the recent dry spell they'd gone through and the way his dick was currently pressing painfully against the front of his jeans, he wouldn't last long enough for that. This was going to be quick. If they had time for another round, he might drag that one out a bit more, but right now he definitely wouldn't make it.

Renard stood up long enough to take off his jeans and boxers as well before climbing over Nick. He kissed him hard before pressing his fingers against Nick's lips, the Grimm already taking them into his mouth before the Royal had even uttered the command, "Suck."

He watched, mesmerized, as the man beneath him sucked his fingers until they were dripping with his saliva when he pulled them passed his lips. He moved his hands between Nick's cheeks, pressing one finger against his hole before breaching it into that tight heat. Nick gasped as Renard's finger expertly explored his insides before another was added, and another. Having done this many times before, Renard easily found that bundle of nerves that would make Nick cry out.

"Sean!" Nick screamed, arching his back, pushing Renard's fingers deeper. In retrospect, Renard probably could've prepared him better, but between Nick's never-ending please for him to hurry up and his aching cock, they couldn't wait any longer. The Royal spit into his hand, stroking himself for a moment, then guided himself to Nick's entrance. He pressed in, trying to go slow, but Nick wasn't going to have any of that. Though they both know it hurt, Nick wrapped his legs around Renard's hips and pulled him close, forcibly burying Renard to the base. Renard growled, pleasure overriding his senses as he pulled almost all the way out before slamming back into Nick, the younger man crying out in what Renard definitely recognized as pain. He stopped his movements and looked down, worried that he had seriously hurt his Mate, but the Grimm was only glaring heavily at him. "Don't you dare fucking stop, Sean!" He said through gritted teeth.

Renard was about to ask if Nick was okay when he smelled the intense arousal coming from his Mate through the scent of pain. Renard leaned close to Nick's ear and, with a deep command, he said, "We're discussing this later, Nick, understood?"

Nick had just enough time to nod before Renard pulled back out and crashed back into him, setting a quick pace that had Nick screaming the Royal's name until his throat was raw. Renard never considered himself to be a sadist, but Nick seemed to drag desires out of him that he didn't even know he had. The Royal within enjoyed this almost too much. The feelings they both felt about this infliction and receipt of pain was confusing, but the Bond seemed to translate it for them.

Renard needed this. He needed complete control and, right now, he had complete control over Nick. He controlled how much pain he felt, how much pleasure. With a simple press of his hands combined with his wesen strength, he could break Nick.

Nick needed this, too. He needed to reassure himself of the strength of their Bond. He needed to know that if he ever fell, Renard would be there to not only to protect him, but to bring him back to his feet. He needed his Mate to push him to his limits so he could learn to go farther.

Most of all, they both needed this for trust. In this war, they needed to trust each other wholeheartedly. To others, their act of showing complete trust would be seen as unusual and even cruel, but to them it was the only way they knew they could emphasize the need for trust in a way that words would never do justice.

Renard thrust impossibly harder into Nick, taking his wrists into one hand, effectively pinning them above his head in a bruising grip. Tears were pooling at the corners of Nick's pupil-blown eyes. In a gesture contrary to the painful inflictions Renard was giving him, the Royal softly kissed the tears away from his eyes, which was what pushed Nick over the edge with a strangled cry of the older man's name. Nick came heavily, his walls pulsing around the Royal's cock. He thrust in a few more times before sinking his teeth into Nick's neck, his mouth filling with Nick's delicious blood as he filled Nick with one of the most powerful orgasms he had ever experienced.

Nick's breath hitched when he pulled out. He gently grabbed Nick's wrists, placing gentle kisses against the already dark, hand-shaped bruises against the skin. Nick watched with sleepy eyes as Renard kissed away any lingering pain he felt. By the time Renard got up and returned with a blanket from the closet, Nick was already well on his way to sleep. He covered his Mate before grabbing his and Nick's clothes along with some extra blankets for Monroe and Rosalie and stepping quietly out of the room. There was a washer and dryer in the back. Hopefully the utilities were in working condition here so he could wash these clothes he knew hadn't been washed in at least two weeks. He was buttoning his now clean jeans when he heard the front door open. Out if instinct he crouched low, hiding and scenting the air for potential intruders. He only sensed Monroe and Rosalie, so he walked out into the living room to greet them and help carry in the food they had brought. He noticed their slightly more disheveled appearance and distinct, post-coital scent, but said nothing of it.

They put everything away and sat at the table, Renard having one question before he retired to bed with his Mate. "While you were in the underground fortress, did either of you hear anything about the others?"

Rosalie nodded. "We were all taken at once so at one point all of us were in the same cell. They started taking us to different locations after a few weeks of our escape attempts. I'm not sure about Wu, Adalind, or Meisner, but Juliette and Hank's handlers both spoke traditional Spanish and I recognized their accents through some of our clients at the spice shop. Juliette and Hank were definitely taken to Spain."

"Handlers?"  
"That's what they called our specific guards. Each of us has a specific handler. Their job is to learn everything about us so they can use that knowledge to psychologically keep us captive, to break us, more or less," Monroe explained. He looked away as he said, "They are very good at their jobs, admittedly. I was more than happy to see Nick had charred them into something unrecognizable."

Renard's mind briefly flashed to the memory of Monroe's broken howls. He wondered whether it was because of his handler, though he didn't dare ask. "We will discuss plans for Spain tomorrow. I want Nick to be awake for this conversation."

The two other wesen nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Goodnight, you two," he said politely before standing up, taking Nick's clothes, and heading back to his Mate. Inside the room, he placed Nick's clean clothes on the floor at the edge of the bed before crawling into bed with his Mate. Nick didn't even flinch as Renard dragged his sleeping body close, the Royal wrapping his entire body protectively around him. He buried his nose into Nick's hair and deeply breathed in his scent. He fell asleep surrounded by the smell of Nick's pure, intoxicating scent and the sound of his slow, even breathing.

* * *

 **Okay, what'd you think? Tell me if you want to. Also, Fanfiction ideas. I'm split between two ideas right now. I will eventually write both, but I'm not sure what I want to focus on more.**

 **Idea #1: Good Mythical Morning, Rhett/Link**

 **So, the story with this one is I've gotten into GMM recently. Now, normally I hate the idea of writing about real people but these two are freakin' adorable and I can't help it. This is the one exception I will make (except maybe, MAYBE Markiplier/Jacksepticeye).**

 **I have an idea to go along with this, but it all stemmed from one single idea. It would be an MPreg story. I don't want to give too much away, but the idea I have is very cute, very funny, with a lot of seriousness all thrown into one.**

 **Basically, they've been together either since the summer between their Freshman and Sophomore years of high school or the Summer after they graduated from high school (I'm leaning towards the summer after high school graduation as I write this). I've got some other ideas but I don't want to say too much without giving all my ideas away and then you all knowing what I'm gonna write. Cause that's no fun!**

 **Idea #2: Psych, Lassiter/Shawn**

 **Yeah, Psych fans. I still think about it. I miss writing Shassie and I just got Netflix so I've been binging it. I've watched two and a half seasons in like two days. My idea for this one is that, instead of it being Shawn and Gus growing up together, I want to add Lassiter and make them kind of like the three musketeers or something like that.**

 **I was kind of humoring the idea that Lassiter and Shawn were considered the badasses of the school and Juliet doesn't believe it when people from their high school say Lassie - the 'by the book' detective - was once a problem child. Then this whole slew (is this even a word?) of ideas came to me and that's how I have this idea.**

 **Idea #3: Supernatural(?), Dean/Castiel**

 **I told myself that there are some fandoms that I just don't want to write in because I feel I won't do the series justice. So far, the fandoms I don't really write for are Supernatural and Full Metal Alchemist. I really have no ideas for this one specifically, but if you all would like a Supernatural fic, I might just start thinking about some.**

 **Idea #4: Good Mythical Morning OR Psych AND Supernatural Crossover, Rhett/Link, Lassiter/Shawn, Dean/Castiel, Sam/I Don't Know**

 **If this is confusing, it's just a Supernatural Crossover with either GMM or Psych. I have an idea that the Darkness has a kid. That's literally all there is in this story. I think it would be an interesting idea to expand on.**

 **Also, I'm not opposed to ideas! Throw some at me! Any stories you think I might like to read/write/help with? Shout 'em out!**


	3. Wu: Allies

Somewhere in China, two men were sitting together chatting incessantly about various topics. In all reality, one man was sitting in a cell looking a little worse for wear. That same man inside the cell was also the only one speaking, much to the annoyance of the handler. "So, hey, Mr. Handler, I have to say, you've not been very talkative these three months we've been here, you know. For three months I've had to fill this dark and dreary cell with mindless chatter because none of you will chat back."

The handler took a deep, calming breath that did nothing to calm his nerves and, through gritted teeth, he said, "You could just shut the hell up."

The man inside the cell, Drew Wu, thought about this for about half a second then said, "You know what? It's fine. I'll continue. I'm pretty good at filling the air.

"So, since you're the new guy – I thought we were supposed to have only one handler? You're like the third one I've had," Wu shook his head, pretending he had no idea why each of his handlers had left as if he hadn't annoyed them to the point of near insanity. "Anyways, I have to ask you. Maybe you'd know. Do you have any idea why they brought me to China, of all places? I find that incredibly racist, you know. Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean I'm automatically from China. I'm Filipino, if you must know. I don't even know Chinese. Hell, I don't even know Tagalog very well. Some Filipino I am. Hey, do you think I should've listened to my grandmother when she told me to pay attention to her Tagalog? I bet a second language would've come in handy while I was working as a cop, though, I'm not sure how much Tagalog specifically would've helped. Oh yeah! Do you think that, when I escape here, I can get my job back in Portland? I'm sure Natalia won't be too happy about my return since she's the one holding me captive, but I plan on shooting her anyways. God, I would love to shoot that woman. Have you ever thought about hurting a woman? I feel like that's wrong, but she has it coming. Maybe I'll save Juliette and let her pull the trig-"

The man stood up suddenly, the chair he was in falling backwards. The man's hands were shaking with rage as he unlocked the cell door and made a beeline for Wu. "I'm going to rip your fucking tongue out!"

Wu smirked. "Wow, the other guys lasted a lot longer than you did. You have serious rage issues, don't you? You know, I know a great therapist in Portland. You should go there, check it out-"

Wu was cut off by the guy screaming and tackling him to the ground. Right before the man could wrap his hands around his throat to finally shut him up, Wu saw an arrow go right through his throat. The man blinked a few times as he watched in shock as blood poured over his already dirty clothes before pushing the man's dying form off of him. He stood up only to see a hooded figure waiting for him to gather himself. He couldn't see the figure's face, but he could tell that under those dark clothes was a woman. "Who are you?" He asked. "Why did you save me?"

"Who I am is not your concern right now," she said. She sounded angry, but Wu sensed it wasn't with him. "Follow me."

Wu walked out of the cell door left open by the now dead guard. He followed the unknown woman down the hall. She killed several guards, her attack strategy similar to a style he'd seen used by an old friend of his…

In a soft whisper, he asked, "Are you a Grimm?"

She only held up her finger to silence him. They made their way to the ground level, finding that a lot of the guards were already dead. She must have killed them before coming to get me, Wu thought.

Once outside, they walked about a mile down the road into a black SUV. He briefly caught a glimpse of her eyes, which were shining with a silver glow. "You're a Grimm. You have to be. Now I'm really intrigued. Why are you helping me?"

As she drove, Wu heard the humorless chuckle come from the woman. "You are very observant. I am a Grimm, yes. The reason I'm helping you?" She paused for a moment before saying very vaguely, "Let's just say I have a problem with the deaths of Sean Renard and Nick Burkhardt."

"You knew them? I don't think they ever mentioned knowing another Grimm."

"I've had deals with Sean Renard in the past, but I knew Nick personally long before he became a Grimm."

"How?"

"Again, it's none of your concern right now."

They stopped at an old airport that looked like it either hadn't seen traffic in years or had seen too much of it. She handed him a file then looked him directly in the eyes. For the first time since she saved him, he saw her face. She was an older woman with short, curly, brown hair and eyes that looked like a haunted version of someone else's, but couldn't quite put his finger on whom. "Listen to me. I am only going to explain this once so I need you to listen carefully. I am sending you on a secure plane to Portland. There is an address in there that I want you to go to. Memorize that address and destroy the paper. At that address, you are going to meet an acquaintance of mine. Her name is Trubel. She will explain everything you need to know. When you meet her, do not say anything else but these words. Tell her, 'Vivat Legitima Regum.' If you try to say anything else, she will not hesitate to kill you because she will think you are the enemy. Do not say anything else but that phrase, understood?"

"Vivat Legitima Regum. I got it," Wu said, nodding his head. "What does it mean?"

"Like I said, Trubel will explain everything to you." The Grimm explained. "Hurry to the plane. They are waiting for you," she paused, looking as if she were considering something. "I have a meeting with a Hexenbiest that I must prepare for, so I will not be travelling with you. Stick with Trubel. I will return to Portland as soon as my business is complete."

Wu nodded, not sure what was going on. "Wait!" He called. "How do I know that I can trust you?"

"Besides the fact I just rescued you?"

He nodded. "For all I know, you could just be another handler trying to mess with me, give me hope and then destroy it."

She considered his words carefully before speaking. "You're right. You don't know if you can trust me. You have every right not to trust me after everything that's happened.

"You might not be able to trust me, but I'm the only one that's helped you in three months. Even if it's a complete sham and I am a handler, I'm the only lead you have so I think it would be wise to take it, no?"

Wu nodded slowly. This woman spoke logically. She must have had this conversation a couple times before. "Okay, okay. I got it. Trust the Grimm."

She smirked. "See that you do."

She got out of the car with Wu and walked him to the gate before leading him to the plane.

Before he got in, she grabbed his arm and said, "Vivat Legitima Regum. Remember that or you will be killed."

"Yes, yes! I know. I got it."

She nodded and closed the plane door, Wu locking it from the inside. He turned to find an empty plane; he was the only one in there except for the pilots in the cockpit. Well, this should be entertaining, he thought.

He sat down and buckled himself in, preparing for the long flight. Hopefully we get there soon.

As boredom overtook him, he decided to take a quick nap before he had to deal with this Trubel character. He wondered what she'd be like. With a name like that he guessed she couldn't be exactly… pleasant. Was she a Grimm as well? He imagined that she was a big, burly woman with a name pronounced like 'trouble.'

His last thought before falling asleep was him thinking that with all these Grimms showing up, he knew there was only one Grimm he wanted to see and he was long gone. He hadn't even had time to grieve for his lost friends and coworkers. He would grieve later, however. Right now he had to make sure Natalia Renard lost the throne. He wasn't sure how to go about that, but the Grimm seemed to want to help him. With a Grimm on his side, he might be able to muster up enough people to fight with them.

He could do this. He had to.

Wu woke up with a jolt, leaping into action to kill whoever had woken him up. He was in his cell. They were coming for him. They were going to execute him finally for 'crimes against the Queen.' He couldn't let that happen. He had to kill his assailant.

Before he could kill anyone, however, he came back to his senses. He wasn't in his cell in China. He was on a plane to Portland, a plane which had apparently landed and the pilot was trying to escort him out. "Sorry…" he mumbled. "Didn't mean that."

"No worries, sir. We get that a lot," the pilot reassured. "There's a car waiting for you outside. Here are the keys."

Wu nodded. "Thanks."

The man put his left hand over his heart and saluted him with his right. "Vivat Legitima Regum."

Wu smiled awkwardly. "Y-yeah. You too, buddy." He patted the guy on the arm before exiting the plane. Well, these guys sure are enthusiastic…

It took Wu a moment to find the car; he hadn't realized he needed to use the alarm to find it. "Finally…" he said as he got into the vehicle. He looked at the address, recognizing the road as one close to Nick's old house. As he promised, he destroyed the address by ripping the paper into pieces and throwing them out the window, the wind blowing them across the parking lot. He began to drive, the familiarity of Portland washing over him, giving him a combined sense of wistfulness and dread.

Soon enough, he was driving up to the house. Considering this might be a safe house for what could be the only rebellion against Natalia, he decided to park down a ways and walk to the house so as not to draw suspicion to several cars parked outside. He took a deep breath before knocking a few times. He huffed in annoyance before knocking again. "Hello? Anyone in there? I need to speak with someone named Trubel."

It only took seconds for the door to open and for someone small but strong to tackle him to the ground. He felt several fists connect with various parts of his body before he gathered enough consciousness to fight her off. He studied his attacker for a moment. She was a young girl; she couldn't be older than twenty-one. She was pale with short, black hair and black clothes to match. He braced himself for another attack before the Grimm's words rang through his head.

"Wait!" He said before she could attack him again. She stopped and he quickly gasped out, "Vivat Legitima…" Crap, he thought. There's another word. What's the other word? "Vivat Legitima… Regulus? No, that's not right…"

The girl stopped, eyes wide. "I recognize you. You were King Renard's recon guy, right? His intelligence coordinator?"

Wu nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes! Yes. I'm Drew Wu. That's me. Intel guy. I'm here to help you. Or, I actually don't know what you all want me for. I was rescued by a Grimm in China and she sent me here to find a woman named Trubel. I know you want me to say the password but I really can't remember the last word…" His eyes suddenly lit up in recognition. "Vivat Legitima Regum! That's it! I got it."

The young woman nodded. "Come in, then, Mr. Wu."

He smiled. "Thanks, though you can just call me Wu," he paused. "You know, I didn't catch your name."

She smirked at him. "My name is Theresa Rubel, but most just call me Trubel."

He scoffed. "You're Trubel? Wow, I was not expecting that. I was expecting a more…"

"A more masculine woman?"

"More or less," he agreed.

She nodded. "I get that a lot."

They walked into the house, the place looking like your average home in this neighborhood, but when you went downstairs into the basement, it was a whole different story. It was like an entire military base had been built beneath the two-story home. Computer monitors were set up in the main room, bunkers down every hallway. There were emergency buttons all down the halls. Wu was sure that if you pressed one, all the gates would close, sending this place into complete lockdown.

"Wow," Wu said. "You've got a pretty nice setup down here. How did you even manage to get all this stuff in here without Natalia finding out about it?"

"Very carefully," Trubel said simply. "This isn't our main HQ, though. Not anymore. We're transferring a lot of our stuff from here to the warehouse location." At Wu's questioning glance, she said, "We have a lot of new members. We thought this house would be big enough, but apparently there are a lot more people willing to fight for the Grimm and the Royal than we originally anticipated."

Wu smirked. Nick and Renard had a lot of allies.

A sound echoed through the room. A phone was vibrating. Trubel pulled out a phone from her pocket, staring at the screen for a moment before answering. "Hello?" She said. There was a beat of silence before Trubel's eyes widened. "You found them?" More silence. Trubel rolled her eyes. "They were here the whole time? Why would she keep them here, of all places?" She paused. "I'll get right on it. You want me to bring the new guy?" Though whoever was on the other end couldn't see it, Trubel nodded. "Alright. Let me know if you find anything else about the other prisoners," she hung up.

"Who was that?" Wu asked.

"That was the other Grimm you met in China. She wants me to take you to the correctional facility on the Columbia River to snatch two people."

"Why are we breaking people out of jail?"

"They didn't actually commit any crimes. I'm sure you know them."

"Who are they?"

"Adalind Schade and Martin Meisner. They were put there for 'crimes against the queen.'" Trubel said.

Though Wu was ecstatic to be able to see his friends again, he hesitated. "And you trust this other Grimm? How do you know she's not leading us into a trap?"

Trubel sighed, running a hand through her short hair. "She said you were skeptical," she muttered. "That Grimm? She has a lot invested into this whole thing. She's the leader of our entire organization."

"You guys are big enough to be an organization?" He shook his head. "Never mind that. Ignore that. Why does she care? I thought Grimms didn't care so long as wesen died?"

She nodded. "She was that way at one point," she took a breath, thinking for a moment if she should say what she wanted to say, then decided to go for it. "The Grimm you met, well, she found me when I first became a Grimm. I was scared, and to be completely honest, I thought I was going crazy. What sane human could see the things we Grimms see?" She took a breath, steadying herself. "I wouldn't have survived without her. She saved me. So yes. I trust the woman with my life.

"She taught me that I needed to kill wesen, no questions asked. She said they would try to kill me no matter what so any time I encountered one, I should make sure it would never see me or anyone else again. I didn't agree with senselessly killing wesen at first, but after trying to convince wesen not to kill me and getting hurt in the process, I guess I just gave up. Kill or be killed, right?" She laughed, but there was no humor behind it.

"Eventually, though, word got to us that there was a Grimm here in Portland defying everything she had taught me. He was doing the right thing and we both knew it. Maybe it was our proud Grimm instincts, but we didn't like admitting we were wrong. We wanted to go meet this Grimm that was changing everything. We wanted to teach him a lesson about how dark wesen truly were and that they must be stopped at all costs.

"We actually saw him. I was ready to attack him, but the other Grimm stopped me. She had this look on her face that was a mix of shock, resigned sadness, and pride. In a split second, she went from this Grimm filled with so much hate to a completely different person hell-bent on changing herself for the better. She saved my life so of course I went along with her change. We would still be killing wesen if it wasn't for the famous Grimm of Portland.

"She never told me his name, though I figured it out on my own after some digging. That guy's name was Nick Burkhardt. I was angry at first, but now I can see why she never told me his name. That guy was probably the only weakness she had."

Wu furrowed his brow. "Her only weakness? Is it because of how she knew Nick before he became a Grimm?"

Trubel nodded. "Yeah," she paused. "I shouldn't tell you this; she didn't want anyone to know, but all of this is probably confusing to you unless you know her name and her relationship with Nick.

"That Grimm you met is Kelly Burkhardt. She's Nick's mother."

Wu took a moment to take that in. "Nick told me his mother and father died in a car crash when he was twelve."

"Yeah, his father did according to Kelly, but the woman in the car wasn't her. It was a friend trying to get home to Nick and take him to a safe house. Kelly hadn't made many friends being the type of Grimm that she was and the wesen were coming to take their revenge. After Kelly discovered that her husband had died, she left, letting everyone believe she had died as well in order to save her son."

Wu nodded. "Yeah, I got it. So I guess she's fighting against Natalia for being responsible for the death of her son, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Suddenly, another sound from Trubel's phone echoed through the room. She looked at her phone, then said to Wu, "Come on. Our ride is here. We have to get to the correctional facility as soon as possible. We have intel saying that Meisner and Adalind are going to be moved to a new location. If we don't get them now we'll lose them again."

Wu nodded. "Then let's go."

Wu seriously wondered what the hell he actually did as a cop because it was way too easy to break into the prison. If it's this easy to get in, I wonder how easy it is to get out?  
They searched around for a while before they were stopped by an officer. The guy looked like a kid, if Wu were being completely honest. Trubel and Wu looked ready to fight to the death when, out of the blue, he said, "The rightful kings have fallen, an enemy takes their place. You've fought a long time to meet the enemy face-to-face. What do you say then what do you do before the enemy meets her doom?"

Trubel spoke quickly. "Vivat Legitima Regum, and then I run her though." The guard nodded slowly before the man placed his left hand over his heart and saluted with the right. "We have Miss Schade and Mr. Meisner in our sights. Right now they are being placed in a truck that we have overtaken. They will be escorted off the facility where we will meet at the rendezvous point."

Trubel nodded. "Then why are we here instead of at the truck?"

"Because," the man explained. "We needed you to come take a look at this."

The three walked into what looked like a communications station overlooking the prisoners. "We were able to get into the system with a little… persuasion of the Black Claw lackey over there."

Wu turned, seeing a dead guard over in the corner. "Black Claw?" Wu asked.

"It's what Natalia calls her army." She explained quickly. "What did you find?"  
"Nothing, at first, but we dug a little deeper. We found this video, but it won't play. Every time we try to open it there's some kind of password box that pops up."

Wu spoke this time. "Download the whole system. As incredibly stereotypical this is, and I'm probably a disgrace as an Asian, I'm pretty sure I can get into the video. I worked with tech support a lot while on the force." He was momentarily saddened by the fact that he might never be a cop again, but now was not the time.

A voice carried over the kid's radio. "Barry, come on. We've got minutes before security comes back on. Hurry up!"

The kid – Barry – spoke back into the radio. "Okay, Roddy. Are you still in the system? Download the information on the computer in this com room. Can you do that?"

"Can't you do that, big guy? Or are you finally going to admit that brains more important than brawn?"

"Roddy, I don't give a rat's ass about this right now-"

"Hey! I take offense to that." Roddy interrupted.

"Fine, yes, yes. Brains are cooler than brawn. Just download the information and help get us out of here."

Meanwhile, Wu leaned over to Trubel. "They fight like a married couple."

Trubel smirked. "Believe it or not, those two might be headed that way. They don't know it yet, but they're basically dating."

"Into the gossip around here, huh?" Trubel just shrugged, but Wu gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. At the precinct, I never lost a bet about gossip around the place. I even had Nick and Renard pegged."

She laughed softly. "Well, that's Barry Rabe and the guy on the speaker is Roddy Geiger. Barry is a Jagerbar and Roddy is a Reinigen. You can imagine how weird that is, a bear and a rat, but somehow those two make it work."

Wu nodded. "It's like a Romeo and Juliet concept, except actually it's not because that whole thing was a disaster."

Trubel just nodded before taking the radio from Barry momentarily. "Is the system good to go, Roddy?"

"Tagged and bagged, baby!" Roddy said. "Not that I'm calling you 'baby,' Miss Trubel…"

"Thanks. Now get us out of here."

"You're not gonna be able to get out the way you came. There are guards coming your way. In a few I won't be able to see you because we blacked those cameras out." There was some shuffling before Roddy said, "Just stay where you are. I think there's some air ducts above you that you can get through. Easy enough."

Barry rolled his eyes. "How about I just knock the guards out and then we can walk out the way we came?"

There was silence. "O-Okay. That… That works, too."

Barry smirked. "See? Brawn wins."

"How about we just agree that they're equally important?"

"You got it, Roddy."

They waited behind the door for the first guard to walk in, Barry knocking him out with a woged fist. Trubel and Wu took out the other guards, Wu panting a bit more than usual. "Man, I am out of shape."

"You're also malnourished." Trubel said.

"Thanks for the reminder." He deadpanned before following Barry and Trubel out of the complex. They drove to a location on the other side of town. It looked like your standard warehouse until you took the elevator down. It revealed a high tech facility filled hallways of what looked like military-style bedrooms. In the center was a tech room where Wu was officially able to meet Roddy Geiger, who stood up to shake his hand. "It's an honor to meet the man who served the kings!" He grinned. "Plus, Nick saved my life, more or less. And Barry's. We owe him at least this much."

"Thanks, you know. For all this. I know Nick and Renard would be fighting right along with us if they were here." He paused before shaking himself from his momentary grief. "Where are Adalind and Meisner?"

"They're in a temporary holding cell down the hall. We were waiting for you to show up, honestly. We're trying to remove the magickal containment band on Miss Schade's wrist, but she won't let us near her and neither will Mr. Meisner. I think they'll trust us more if they see a familiar face."

Wu nodded. "I'll head right over there, then. Can you pull up that file in the meantime? I want to take a look at it."

"Yeah. It'll be up when you get back."

Wu turned to follow Trubel to the cell containing Adalind and Meisner. Once he walked in, he said, "It's been a while, hasn't it, you two?"

"Wu!" Adalind said. "Why are you here? Where have you been? What's going on?"

"Long story, but these people are trustworthy, I promise. I'll explain everything as soon as I can. Right now, these people want to get that containment band off your arm, Adalind."

She nodded. "Okay."

The two guards that Wu didn't notice were in the room approached Adalind slowly as if they were approaching a rabid animal. The blonde rolled her eyes before taking the key out of one of their hands and opened it herself. She woged for a moment, the Hexenbiest coming forth after such a long containment, before returning to the regular Adalind.

"Tell us what's going on, Wu," Meisner said.

Wu went into his tale. "To make a long story short, I was in China where I was rescued by a Grimm – not this one." He pointed to Trubel. "She sent me back here to Portland to meet this Grimm. This is Trubel. Trubel and the Grimm who rescued me are leading an organization to overthrow Natalia. They have catchphrases and everything."

Trubel gave their organization's salute to the three. "Vivat Legitima Regum. We are the Ultores."

"The Ultores?" Adalind said, making a face. "You mean the Avengers? Why not just put on a cape and call yourself Iron Man?"

Trubel laughed. "One, Iron Man didn't wear a cape. Two, capes are impractical. Have you ever seen the Incredibles?"

Wu smirked. "She's snarky. I like her."

"Who is the Grimm that rescued you? The other head of the organization?"

Wu looked to Trubel, asking permission. "Go ahead." She said.

He took a breath. "Kelly Burkhardt. Nick's mom."

Adalind looked personally offended. "Ignoring the fact that she is supposed to be dead, she willingly rescued me? You do realize that I'm the Hexenbiest Renard ordered to poison her sister, right? Not to mention she's one of the most feared Grimms across the damn globe! Why is she helping maintain us? I figured she would've liked to see this war play out. Wesen killing wesen seems like her thing," she spat.

Trubel nodded. "Yeah, that was her thing. But then she heard her son was doing the right thing so she figured she ought to do the same thing. Plus, Natalia killed her son. Do you think that she would stand idly by and let it all go?"

Adalind shook her head. "No, probably not," she muttered.

"Okay," Wu said. "Come out here. I've got some computer fun to handle."

Adalind, Meisner, Wu, and Trubel walked into the center of the compound while Roddy was staring mindlessly at this password. "What the hell does this even mean?" Roddy said to himself.

On the main screen were a simple password box and one hint. The hint was simply this: The Snake's 42.

Wu thought about this for a long time. Then he smirked. "I don't even have to hack this!"

"What's the password, then?"

Wu laughed. "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life."

"How in the hell did you get that from 'The Snake's 42?'" Meisner asked.

"It's elementary, my dear movie-deprived friends. You see, the number forty-two is in reference to a quote from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This guy was asking about the meaning of life. So, I replaced 'forty-two' with 'the meaning of life.' So now we have 'The Snake's the meaning of life.' It took me a minute, but 'The Meaning of Life' is also a movie made by Monty Python. The snake has to refer to his last name."

Roddy nodded. "Alright. I'll try it."

Roddy typed it out and, sure enough, it worked. Immediately the video began to play. Though what they were seeing was poorly lighted, it seemed they were watching through a surveillance camera. The time stamp on the camera was fairly recent. There were a bunch of guards shouting in German and running towards a stairwell. They watched as blue fire shot down the stairs and literally burnt the guards alive. One of the guards ran to hide in the corner of what looked like a dining area. Then, much to the viewers' shock, four people they instantly recognized ran down the stairs.

It was Nick, Renard, Monroe, and Rosalie.

Sound began to play over the video and Nick's voice washed over them, soothing their grief and worries until all that was left was a fierce determination. "We're coming," Nick said, his voice sounding like an omen of death to whoever was against him. "I want you to tell your Queen that we're coming." He then proceeded to burn his hand into the flesh of the man in front of him.

The video ended and there was a long silence before Roddy and Barry began to jump and shout, running down the halls to say, "They're alive! The kings are alive!"

People began coming out of their rooms by the masses. The video was played a dozen times before they had everyone shouting and cheering. Trubel made a whistling noise and everyone quieted down. She took a breath before smirking. She gave the Ultores salute before shouting so everyone could hear: "Vivat Legitima Regum! Long Live the Rightful Kings!"

Everyone returned the salute and the phrase. Adalind, Meisner, and Wu found themselves saluting and cheering right along with them.

Somehow, Nick and Renard were alive and they had singlehandedly saved Monroe and Rosalie. The kings were making their move. No one had any idea where they were or even how to find them, but that didn't matter. This had given them something none of them really had until this moment.

They finally had hope.


End file.
